Labor's Edge: Views from the California Labor Movement

California voters cast their ballots for progress tonight, electing Gavin Newsom to lead our state into the future and rejecting the cynical Prop 6, which would have eliminated thousands of projects vital to our transportation infrastructure.

In California, we vote our values. The results of tonight’s election are clear evidence that Californians reject gutter politics and instead fight for a hopeful future in which all working people share in the pursuit of the American Dream.

While we’re still waiting for returns on several key races for working people, the energy and enthusiasm from union volunteers who worked for months through this evening to turn out every last vote this year was off the charts. The massive voter mobilization from California unions once again shows that there’s no substitute for in-person conversations that engage voters on issues that matter to their families. That’s the bread and butter of the labor campaign that could make the all the difference in tight races yet to be decided.

We congratulate Newsom on his election as California’s next Governor and look forward to working closely with him to advance workers’ core rights and lead on expanding access to affordable health care and protecting immigrant workers from Trump’s attacks. We’re also thrilled California continues to elect bold leaders to other statewide offices who will ensure our state aggressively moves to grow our economy from the bottom up, tackle income inequality and gender and racial discrimination, and expand voting access.

Led by the State Building and Construction Trades Council, unions went all-in to defeat the harmful Prop 6 measure pushed by right-wing extremists. By rejecting Prop 6, voters solidified support for investing in road and bridge safety and infrastructure. This is a huge win for workers and our state’s future.